Married couple filing income tax,one filed jointly-unknowingly that the other had filed married single?

Question

what do i need to do? This happened from lack of communication. I have always handled tax papers but this year spouse decided to file separately with not a word to me. I made sure the returns were filed before the deadline. I need to know if I need to contact IRS or jut wait until they contact me. Thanks for any help anyone can give me.....

Answer 1

You have me puzzled, on this one!

If I understand your premise, your spouse filed with the status of "Married Filing Separately."

Yet you indicated that you filed using the status, "Married Filing Jointly," which requires, both, husband and wife to sign.

How did your spouse end up signing the joint return without mentioning that she already filed, separately?

Or...

Do you have a Power of Attorney to sign for her?

Or...

Did you forge her signature? (Uh oh!)

If your spouse did not sign the tax return, it is not considered filed. Whether or not your spouse signed, therefore, is significant and may change my answer.

If you call the IRS (depending how much before the deadline you filed), they probably won't be able to help you, much, because they have not yet had time to process the tax return.

Go ahead and call 1-800-829-1040, for guidance, knowing the issues, as I explained them, for the IRS agent will probably ask the same things.

Depending, also, on whether you and your spouse properly signed the joint return, I suggest amending the tax return on Form 1040X.

Phil
http://www.phillipfostercpa.com/tax.html

Answer 2

Did your spouse sign the joint return? If not, you have a problem - you can't file a joint return without both spouses' signatures.

Do you know which one went in first? If you tried to efile a second return for the same person who had already filed, the second return should have been rejected.

You can amend a separate filing to be a joint return, but you need both signatures on the amendment.

Contacting the IRS about this to find out the status of both returns would be a good idea, since if the joint filing was rejected, you are overdue for filing at this point.

Answer 3

Yes, contact the IRS and try to explain what you have done. You may have to file an amended return and make sure both sign it.
Or, if both signed the joint return, that may have been processed.
Sort of depends on which return was processed first. If the filing single went through first, the joint return would be kicked out because the social security number was already used.

Answer 4

Did you efile the joint return? Was it accepted? If so, that means the separate return is rejected. Speak to your spouse and see if she is agreeable to the joint return in this case, and you are done.

If she does not agree, then she will have to notify the IRS that you forged her signature etc. Hopefully that will not happen.

If your spouse's return (which had to be mailed) gets filed first, then your joint return will be rejected, and you will not have a properly filed return for yourself. If this happens, confer with your spouse to see if you must file a separate return, or if she will amend her return to a joint return.

Answer 5

Assuming which you have been single on the tip of 2006, you could report as single for that 3 hundred and sixty 5 days. if your mothers and fathers qualify to declare you as a based, then definite they could, and declare the EIC with you as a qualifying baby in case you meet each and every of the regulations. At age 23, you could in elementary terms qualify in case you have been an entire-time student for no less than 5 months of 2006. Your getting married in 2007 would not exchange something tax-clever for 2006.